Reviews by metter98:

A: The beer is essentially jet black in color - traces of red are visible near the edge of the glass when it is held up to a bright light. It poured with a half finger high dark tan head that died down, leaving a thin layer of bubbles covering the surface, a collar around the edge and some lacing down the sides of the glass. S: Moderate aromas of sweetness and dark roasted malts are present in the nose. T: The taste is similar to the smell and has some initial sweetness followed by notes of roasted malts. No bitterness is detectable. M: It feels medium- to full-bodied and a little smooth on the palate with a moderate amount of carbonation. O: This beer is quite drinkable considering its strength because the alcohol is well hidden from the taste but I would have liked it if some of the sweetness could have been replaced with bitterness or roasted flavors. (870 characters)

Overall: An excellent value RIS and one of the better beers I have had from Cricket Hill. Not the most complex RIS, but nothing offensive and one I will certainly get again. A bit sweet for the style, but good. (429 characters)

Taste starts with big thick malts, dark malts, tons of chocolate, dark chocolate, cocoa powder, little baker's chocolate, creamy melted belgian chocolate like too, and light fluffy nougaty cocoa. Then light roasted malt, a hint of roast with a hint of almost smoked malt flavors, and faint coffee. Big fluffy carbonation, and creamy malts with oats and chewy feel give a nice body to it. Light warming booze in the middle, with mild sweetness, and some nice spicy earthy hops cutting through with a fair bitterness. The roasty malts turn very slightly acrid in the background, more of a note than an off flavor. Finish is more roasty black malts lingering, hint of that acrid coffee coming through, fluffy malts, plenty more chocolate, spicy earthy fairly bitter and slightly salty hops really come through on the finish, but a big sweet almost syrupy malt mouth coating.

Overall not bad at all. I would love to see this bourbon barrel aged, or even just a couple years on it. It's a nice RIS by itself but would really kick up with some aging to round off that faint acrid notes and bitterness, and esp some bourbon and barrel balancing. Nice chocolate, nice malts and roast, creamy rich, nice hops even. This came as a surprise from them as I wasn't a huge fan of the bourbon barrel porter. (2,040 characters)

From the 22oz bottle sent as an extra from mdfb79 – Cheers Dan!*Notes taken on 05/22/14 – with my Stone IRS snifter glass

A: Pour is black as cole with s smidge of dark brown and a nice reflective sheen across the body. A ridiculously stubborn sponge of dark tan head fills more than half of my glass. Sinks down to something a bit more regular but never subsides completely. Leaves the glass looking wiped clean which is odd given the amount of head involved.

S: Opens up syrupy sweet with some dark molasses and sorghum followed by a heavy dark roast and charcoal character. Kind of gives off a bit of marshmallow likeness which is nice. Has a touch of soy sauce/umami there and a good dose of earthy hops. Some alcohol also noted. Not bad and you definitely get the sense this will be on the sweeter side.

T: Dry and roasty with lots of dark char notes and there is a big hoppy bitter bite to this. More so than expected and it comes off a touch acrid when combined with the spent coffee bitterness. I get some light crème and a bit of powdery cocoa in the middle. Lightly smoky with some alcohol heat coming through and a finish of earthy licorice and molasses. A little rough around the edges at times but overall enjoyable.

M: The body is full but the feel is lighter and super frothy. Almost like an upper level of carbonation going on. It is spritzy and bitter which cuts through the syrupy thickness quite well. Comes across much thinner actually. Good drying finish with some mellowed alcohol warming. Clean mostly with some light slickness on the tongue.

D: A sweeter stout with a ton of roast, some big hop bitterness, and a bit of lurking alcohol. A little clunky at times between the high bitterness and sweet malts but in the end I did enjoy this and would have again. I would probably avoid if you are not into hoppy stouts however. (1,863 characters)

Picked up a bottle on a whim from my local beer store in their "clearance" section. Didnt go wrong here.The beer pours a fairly thick black color with creamy tan head of 2 cm foaming up and fading away slowly to a sturdy surface layer. Looks the part of a robust imperial stout.

Aroma is pleasant yet maybe a little one dimensional, I get roasted malt and dark cocoa, but not much else. The roast is clearly dominant over other scents. No hint of booze and I dont get any real hop presence, maybe a little earthy aroma, but that is very faint.

First sip reveals a thick body and smooth rolling carbonation. Flavor is roasted malt and roasted malt, I get a little burnt molasses, but otherwise not too much diversity on the flavor either.

Both the nose and flavor on this beer are appealing but maybe one dimensional. Some dark fruit or chocolate or other stout notes would really boost my scores. I didnt dislike the beer, in fact I enjoyed it, I just wouldnt put it in the excellent category. (1,053 characters)

Appearance: Poured into my Lost Abbey chalice, this comes with a great frothy-fluffy head (almost three fingers), hefty bubbles on top and good retention. Carbonation is rather solid and lacing is just artsy! Very black looking beer. I love how it pours thick and creamy, as a beer in this style should indeed.

Smell: Great roastiness, reminds me of a working fireplace, with a bit of smoke and that cozy "hominess". Wood, in logs and lyin about the forest waiting to be picked and thrown on said fireplace. A bit of schist/opaque rock, plus coffee beans at the end. Bitter chocolate all around.

Taste: The weakest link here. Nice smoke feel on the lips, and creamy chocolate, but otherwise a tad underwhelming.

Mouthfeel: Creamy, rich, smooth. Full body, medium flavor and carbonation. Could be just a tad more carbonated, but this really is how a good RIS should feel like. Not too dry, not too thick, just right. Well balanced.

Overall: All of the above and drinks rather great to boot. Easily the best Cricket Hill beer, and a damn nice Imperial Stout! (1,156 characters)

Bottle from RSVPPours a solid black with a huge creamy tan head that persists forever leaving lots of sticky lace on the way down. Aromas of chocolate and roast with hints of dark pitted fruits, licorice, and just a touch of oxidation. The flavor is chocolate drizzled sweet cherries and raspberries up front with just a touch of warming alcohol. Licorice, caramel and brown sugar with a touch of earth hop flavor round this one out nicely. Thick body with a velvety creamy smooth mouthfeel, and a light level of carbonation. This is a very nice brew, the chocolate and fruity flavors integrate very well and the abv is well hidden. (633 characters)